


The Death of a Jedi

by chainsawdog, generalskyguy (chainsawdog)



Series: Order Abandoned [26]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-01-03 11:18:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21178544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chainsawdog/pseuds/chainsawdog, https://archiveofourown.org/users/chainsawdog/pseuds/generalskyguy
Summary: After returning from an attempt to convince Asajj Ventress to join their cause, Obi-Wan is informed by the Council that there is a plot to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine. Although Master Yoda offers Obi-Wan the chance to go undercover, the catch is he must fake his death; and Obi-Wan knows how Anakin would react. Instead, Obi-Was suggests they make use of the Order's best spy - Quinlan Vos.Find me on tumblr atchainsavvdogor on twitter at@chainsawdog. Thank you for your support.





	1. Chapter 1

Quinlan Vos returned to Coruscant at the request of the Jedi Council. He left his spies in the capable hands of his second-in-command. Surely whatever the Jedi needed from him wouldn’t take long.  
  
While Obi-Wan’s news of a Sith in the Republic was troubling, Quinlan hadn’t been able to find much more information. Obviously whoever the Sith was, they had gone to great lengths to hide themselves.  
  
Quinlan hadn’t slept well in weeks. Maybe he’d get a chance to, back at the Temple. More likely they were sending him on another mission, one that couldn’t be discussed over holocomm.  
  
“Quinlan!”  
  
A voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Quinlan looked up to see Aayla Secura. She rushed over to him, stopping herself from hugging him.  
  
“What are you doing back here?”  
  
“The Council’s got a top secret mission for me,” Quinlan said with a smile. “What about you?”  
  
“Just taking some shore leave before heading back out there,” said Aayla. “I… it was good to see you, Master.”  
  
Quinlan grinned. “You don’t have to call me that anymore, Aayla,” he said. “It’s not like I’m on the Council.”  
  
Aayla returned the smile. “You’ll always be the man who saved me from that wampa.”  
  
Quinlan rested a hand on her shoulder. “Stay safe, Aayla,” he said. “May the Force be with you.”  
  
“And with you, Master,” said Aayla.  
  
Quinlan made his way to the Council chamber. There were so many new faces in the Temple – it couldn’t have been that long since he’d walked the halls.  
  
When he entered the Council chamber, only three Jedi awaited him. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, and Grandmaster Yoda. Obi-Wan’s face was a grim mask.  
  
Quinlan bowed respectfully, and then waited.  
  
“Thank you for your prompt return, Vos,” said Mace Windu.  
  
“Require of you a great service, we do,” said Yoda. “A sacrifice.”  
  
“Name it, and it will be done,” said Quinlan Vos.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Obi-Wan wince. It seemed Kenobi hadn’t been practicing letting go of his attachments recently. They probably had Skywalker to blame for that.  
  
“We need you to go undercover,” said Windu. “Befriend the criminal Moralo Eval, and discover what he plans to do with the Chancellor.”  
  
“Hold on a second,” said Quinlan. “I need more information than that.”  
  
“There is… a plot to kidnap the Chancellor,” said Obi-Wan. “We have captured the supposed mastermind, but we believe his plan is already in motion. We need you to befriend him – this would require you to take the visage of an infamous criminal in order to get close to him. We… have hired the assassin Rako Hardeen to ‘kill’ you. In reality, he will think he’s taken you out, and then you can take on his appearance. We’ll arrest you, you will go to the Republic prison and brag about killing a Jedi.”  
  
“Why not a more famous Jedi?” asked Quinlan. “How many people even know I exist?”  
  
“You’re our best infiltrator,” said Obi-Wan. “You can get close to Eval without raising suspicion.”  
  
“And if he believes you were able to kill a Jedi, then he’s more likely to accept your offer of help,” said Windu.  
  
“I suppose,” said Quinlan.  
  
He met Obi-Wan’s eyes, and wondered at what Kenobi might be hiding. Obi-Wan could have done the task as easily as Quinlan, yet something held him back. Perhaps he was reluctant to risk Anakin’s feelings. Quinlan wondered just how much Yoda and Windu knew.  
  
Quinlan turned his mind away from those thoughts. It was difficult to stop analysing everyone, to stop looking for weaknesses to exploit. These were people he should trust. People he could trust. Going undercover was nothing new for Quinlan, even if this set-up was more convoluted than it had to be.  
  
“All right,” he said. “Let’s do this. When do I die?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May the 4th be with you all, and also a new chapter. With the new season of the Clone Wars I want more than ever for my fix-it series to fix things. Thank you all for reading, thank you for commenting, thank you for your kudos. It means so much to me that people are invested in my story. You can find me on twitter [@chainsawdog](https://twitter.com/chainsawdog) or on tumblr at [chainsavvdog](https://chainsavvdog.tumblr.com/)

The funeral was simple. All Jedi funerals were. Aayla stood close to Quinlan’s shrouded corpse, trying to remember his teachings. He had moved on from this life, but would always be with her in the Force. That was what she kept telling herself.  
  
She’d been surprised to see Skywalker at the funeral. His face was a grim mask, his jaw set.  
  
Aayla hadn’t realised Skywalker cared for Quinlan. She’d known that Quinlan and Kenobi had trained as younglings together, so it made sense Kenobi had attended his funeral. Yet Aayla didn’t remember Quinlan ever talking about Skywalker. She didn’t know when they had met, or why Skywalker would care that Quinlan was dead.  
  
Aayla had heard that Skywalker had brought Quinlan’s body back to the Temple. He’d been out with Kenobi and his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, when there had been some commotion on the roof of a building. Apparently there had been the sound of a blaster, and Quinlan had fallen from the roof, landing on the sidewalk in front of them. Skywalker had given chase, while Kenobi had rushed to Quinlan’s side. Aayla didn’t want to think of it, but couldn’t stop imagining the fall. The sound of impact. She'd seen enough death to know what it sounded like when a body hit concrete.  
  
Skywalker hadn’t caught the killer. He had carried Quinlan back to the Temple, and presented the body to the Council. Kenobi had promised to search for the killer, and bring him to justice.  
  
Maybe Skywalker was simply upset that he hadn’t been able to prevent Quinlan’s death. Aayla had worked with him before – he took many things personally.  
  
Aayla managed to catch Anakin before he returned to the main Temple. Obi-Wan went on ahead as Aayla asked to speak with him privately.  
  
“Of course,” said Anakin. “What… what do you need?”  
  
“I… wanted to thank you for bringing Quinlan’s body back to us,” she said quietly. “I asked Master Yoda if I could help in finding his killer, but he… seems concerned that I may be too close emotionally to the situation.”  
  
Anakin scoffed. “He shouldn’t be worried,” he said. “You’re a good Jedi. I’m sure you can let go of Vos.”  
  
Aayla frowned.  
  
Anakin noticed, and his expression softened. “Oh, sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean –”  
  
“No, no,” said Aayla. “There was nothing... false about your statement.” She had to be a good Jedi. Even if that meant letting go of Quinlan. She had to.  
  
“It was still rude,” said Anakin. “I… wasn’t thinking.” He clenched his fist. “It’s just. It’s not fair. He was… a good man.”  
  
“I didn’t know that you knew him,” said Aayla.  
  
“I met him a while ago,” said Anakin, and Aayla could have sworn that a faint blush crept across his cheeks. “He was kind.”  
  
Aayla smiled softly. “That he was,” she said. “And we’re lucky to have known him.”  
  
“He was your Master, wasn’t he?” asked Anakin.  
  
Aayla nodded. “And the Jedi who brought me to the Temple. I owe – I owed him much. Had it been allowed, I might have sworn a life-debt to him. Instead I was just grateful to learn from him. My bond with Quinlan…” Aayla looked at Anakin. “It was much like your own bond with Ahsoka.”  
  
Anakin wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t even sure why Aayla had stopped to talk to him.  
  
Reluctantly, Aayla asked, “Kenobi is going after the killer, isn’t he?”  
  
Anakin nodded.  
  
“Once… he’s in our custody, do you think you might be able to help me… visit him?”  
  
“The killer?”  
  
Aayla nodded. “I just want to talk to him.”  
  
Anakin considered this. He couldn’t sense anything unusual from Aayla. She didn’t seem the type to want revenge.  
  
“Okay,” said Anakin. “I’ll see what I can do.”


	3. Chapter 3

Obi-Wan brought Hardeen in with surprising ease. The bounty hunter had been at a bar in the Undercity, bragging about his kill. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan was the right choice to bring Hardeen in; if Anakin had gone, he would not have brought Hardeen back alive. That's why Obi-Wan was the better Jedi. Anakin may have surpassed him in some areas, but he would never have the infinite patience Obi-Wan seemed to have. Except when it came to Anakin.  
  
_I’m doing better,_ Anakin reminded himself. _I did the right thing on Zygerria._  
  
Anakin paced outside the Council chambers. He knew Yoda was inside — he could sense him. Yet it was taking Anakin a while to build up the courage to ask Yoda for the favour of allowing Aayla Secura to speak with Rako Hardeen.  
  
He took a deep breath in, and then knocked on the door of the Council chambers.  
  
"Skywalker," said Yoda, by way of greeting.  
  
"Master Yoda," said Anakin, bowing. "I was hoping you could aid me with something."  
  
"Ask, you may. What the answer will be, we shall see."  
  
"Master Secura has asked to meet with Master Vos's killer. I believe she wishes to speak with him."  
  
"Ask me herself, she could."  
  
Anakin shook his head. "She is on a mission," he explained. "She said she'll speak with him over holocomm, but I would probably have to… go with her."  
  
Yoda thought about it for a moment, and then said, "Unfortunate, it is, that already in prison Hardeen is. Otherwise, grant her wish, I would. Understand this, she will. A thoughtful act it was, Skywalker, to ask on her behalf."  
  
Anakin took another deep breath, then nodded. "Okay," he said. "Thank you for your time." He paused, then said, "Master, has there been any progress with the investigation? Maybe Hardeen's… actions were supported by the Sith?" He frowned. "What was Master Vos doing back on Coruscant?"  
  
Yoda was quiet again, studying Anakin's expression. He walked to the window, then said, "Doing all we can, we are. On Coruscant for a reason, Quinlan was. Proof of Sith involvement we do not have — rash to jump to conclusions, it would be."  
  
Anakin nodded again, and excused himself from the chambers. He took a moment to collect himself before contacting Aayla. She took the news well enough, but Anakin could see the sorrow on her face.  
  
"I'm sorry," Anakin said. The words couldn't convey the depth of emotion he felt.


	4. Chapter 4

Anakin tried to visit Obi-Wan after his meeting with Yoda. He knew Obi-Wan had known Quinlan since he was young, and was worried about how Obi-Wan felt. He wanted to visit Padmé, but that could happen later. Obi-Wan might need him.  
  
At Quinlan's funeral, Anakin had barely been able to sense Obi-Wan. He was masking his emotions to a point where he had nearly vanished from Anakin's Force sense. The change from their new, clear connection was worrying.  
  
Obi-Wan wasn't in his rooms. Anakin couldn't find the connecting thread that had existed between them since they had escaped that awful planet. He could sense Ahsoka, however, and followed that in the vague hope that she might know where Obi-Wan was.  
  
Ahsoka was in the Halls of Healing, spending time with the younglings she had rescued from Trandosha. They fell silent when Anakin arrived, but Ahsoka told them that it was okay. Despite their time with the Alderaani healers, the three younglings were wary around people they perceived as strangers. As Anakin avoided the Halls of Healing as much as possible, he hadn't had the chance to get to know them. He tried to ignore the fear he sensed from them; they didn’t know him. Their fear of him was understandable. He shouldn’t be annoyed.  
  
"What's up, Skyguy?" Ahsoka asked.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to know where Obi-Wan's gone off to, would you?" he said.  
  
Ahsoka shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "Is… this about Vos?"  
  
Anakin nodded. "The two of them basically grew up together," he explained. "I want to make sure he's okay."  
  
Ahsoka put her hands behind her back, frowning thoughtfully. "He's not in the gardens?"  
  
It was Obi-Wan's favourite place to meditate in the Temple. Anakin cursed himself for not looking there earlier.  
  
"He'll be fine, Skyguy," said Ahsoka. "He's got his emotions under control, doesn't he?"  
  
Anakin smiled. "I hope he does," he said. "I don't want him to suffer. Probably a good thing he's not much like me."  
  
Ahsoka rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm not wrong," said Anakin. "Can you imagine? Two of me?"  
  
Ahsoka pretended to cringe. "You're unique, that's for sure."  
  
"Thanks, Snips," he said. "I'll go check the gardens." He hesitated a moment. "You're okay?"  
  
Ahsoka shrugged. "I didn't really know him," she said quietly. "It's just another name, isn't it? Not… I know he meant something to you. But it's this war. It's just this war."  
  
Anakin nodded, remembering a conversation they'd had a while ago.  
  


.

  
  
_“And… the war’s everywhere. On every planet in every system, from here to the Outer Rim. I’m… it’s not good, but I’m sort of waiting for it to reach Coruscant.” Ahsoka sighed. “I don’t want it to,” she clarified. “But… I just have this feeling. It’s going to.”  
  
Anakin looked away, frowning. “It can’t,” he said, softly. Ahsoka looked at him, her confusion clear on her face. He took a deep breath in, and when he let it out, he looked at her. “I won’t let it.”_  
  
  


.

  
The war had reached Coruscant properly. A Jedi had died on the planet that was supposed to be safe.  
  
That conversation felt like it had taken place in another lifetime. In actuality, it had only been two years ago. In that time, however, things had changed so much. Anakin looked at Ahsoka curiously. She had been so young, only fourteen. Sure, she was only sixteen now, but she seemed much older. Much more tired. Anakin couldn’t help thinking she’d seen too much.  
  
Ahsoka patted Anakin's arm. "You all right, Skyguy?"  
  
"Yeah," he replied. "It's… you're right. It's this war."  
  
"Well, hopefully Senator Amidala and the Separatists and… everything… can help end the war."  
  
"Hopefully," said Anakin. There was a short silence. Then, "You all take care, okay?" he looked at each of the younglings.  
  
Their expressions were unreadable, and if it wasn't for his strange new Force sense, he wouldn't have known what they were feeling. Confusion and fear, mostly. A little bit of hope. Maybe whatever the Alderaani healers were doing was helping.


	5. Chapter 5

Obi-Wan was in the gardens, struggling to calm his emotions. There was far too much conflict within him to allow himself to open up to Anakin, through words or their bond. He had no problem with the mission Quinlan had been sent on, but he was worried what Anakin would think. The mission had been offered to Obi-Wan, and maybe once he would have accepted it. Now, he knew his death would destabilise Anakin, and that concerned him. Anakin couldn't be subject to his emotions; not as a Jedi. There was too much risk; Obi-Wan could die, and he had accepted that. If Anakin couldn't accept it, then - as much as Obi-Wan didn't want to admit it - he could fall to the dark side.  
  
He felt Anakin’s presence before he saw Anakin, and opened his eyes.  
  
"Hey," said Anakin, sitting down beside Obi-Wan.  
  
Obi-Wan looked at him. "Hello, Anakin. What's going on?"  
  
"I'm worried about you," Anakin said plainly.  
  
Obi-Wan looked away.  
  
Anakin reached out a hand to touch Obi-Wan's shoulder, and to his surprise, Obi-Wan shrugged it away.  
  
"I am fine, Anakin," he said, his tone flat. "There's no need to worry about me."  
  
"But… he was your friend."  
  
"Anakin, I am a Jedi. I know how to let go of Quinlan, now that I need to."  
  
Anakin frowned. He regarded Obi-Wan curiously. His words did not match whatever strangeness Anakin felt radiating from him.  
  
"You're at odds about something," Anakin said gently. "I can help, Obi-Wan."  
  
Obi-Wan shook his head. "What's done is done, Anakin," he said. "Please. I would like to be alone."  
  
More confused than hurt, Anakin nodded, and left Obi-Wan to his meditation. He would speak to Anakin in his own time, Anakin knew.  
  
Obi-Wan watched Anakin leave, grateful he hadn't pushed the subject. Anakin had matured so much since the beginning of the war. Maybe there was nothing to worry about.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinlan was disguised as Rako Hardeen using the same face-changing technology that Padmé and Anakin had used on Slick. In no time at all, Obi-Wan had apprehended him, and he was on his way to the Republic Judiciary Central Detention Centre. Most people just called it the prison, or the RJC, because its full name was a mouthful.  
  
Quinlan studied the layout of the building, and realised it had been designed with observation in mind. There would be few places that prisoners would have privacy. It was manned by shock troopers, and each level of cells was in the line of sight of at least one guard at any given time.  
  
Quinlan hated it immediately. To be so closely watched wouldn't just make a jailbreak difficult — it made him personally uneasy. At least the prisoners here required it. They were dangerous folk; murderers, crime lords, terrorists, and the like.  
  
So it surprised Quinlan to see a kid in there, too.  
  
He looked like a clone, but much younger. It didn't take Quinlan long to realise he was looking at Jango Fett's son, Boba. He'd heard that the kid had been apprehended for attempting to kill Windu and Skywalker, but had no idea that the RJC was where he'd ended up. It seemed a little too high-security for someone his age. As well as being a prison for adults, rather than a juvenile detention.  
  
Then again, thought Quinlan, a Jedi that age wouldn't be kept locked up in a place like this. Maybe his being a clone of Jango Fett made a difference.  
  
Well, Quinlan was here now. His first task, after settling in, was to get in the good graces of Moralo Eval. Quinlan knew exactly who he was looking for, and he also knew that he couldn't act too keen. Eval was a technological mastermind, as well as a serial killer, and it wouldn’t be easy to gain his confidence. Quinlan had maybe one chance to get into Eval's inner circle, and he would do whatever it took.  
  
Quinlan had asked Master Yoda why they had not coerced the information out of Eval. The Jedi could have used mind tricks, or a clone could have tortured him. Quinlan didn't say that he, too, was capable of torture — he didn't want to lose his field status. Sometimes a Jedi needed to get their hands dirty in order to keep the Galaxy safe. Yoda hadn't had a real answer, and Quinlan hadn't pushed for one.  
  
Still, the plan didn't make much sense to Quinlan. It was better to have Eval in the RJC than out in the galaxy, making an even bigger mess. Quinlan had dealt with his kind before. Breaking him out of prison seemed foolish, but those were the orders he'd been given. Apparently someone was planning on kidnapping the Chancellor.  
  
It roused suspicion in Quinlan that Yoda and Windu hadn't been able to give him much information. He'd offered to put his spies on the task of investigation, but they said things were happening far too quickly for that. So Quinlan had agreed to roll with it, as long as Obi-Wan contacted his network and informed them of the situation.  
  
In the back of his mind, Quinlan had thought, _so what if the Chancellor dies? He can be replaced. He's not worth these resources._ He kept the traitorous thoughts to himself, with the knowledge that the Jedi answered to the Republic Senate foremost in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! I know it's not really done to talk about but I am experiencing a rough time right now so it really cheers me up to get comments and kudos. If you want to support me you can find me on twitter [@chainsawdog](https://twitter.com/chainsawdog) or tumblr [chainsavvdog](https://chainsavvdog.tumblr.com/). I unfortunately lost my job and am doing my best to keep writing during a difficult time because it cheers me up to create this AU, so thank you all!


End file.
